Exam question: Explain how you used digital technology to adhere to or deviate from the conventions of real media texts?

During the development of our practical project, our group have used a variety of digital technology in order to produce a teaser trailer that uses the same conventions as a real media text. The main components used were the video camera and the editing facilities such as using imovie on the mac computers. The first part of digital technology used was the video camera, in which we used to film the trailer. In order to carry out the conventions of a real media text, we used particular techniques that would be used in the real media world. For example, various shot types, angle types, technical ways of moving the camera (i.e. panning, 180 degree rule etc…) Using these techniques helped produce a more skilled, professional looking film and helped us gain a better understanding of the details used in making a film.
The other digital technology, which was just as important, was the editing created on imovie. This program helped with editing our teaser trailer and putting it all together. We were able to play around with shortening and lengthening shots, cutting shots we didn’t want, and adding music with the shots. By using these tools we were able to have a trailer that not only looked professional but also helped to create our thriller genre. We cut many of the unnecessary shots and conversation, and shorten the length of the shots in order to make our teaser trailer sharp and fast pace, which helped engage and excite our audience. We found by re-arranging the order it changed the dynamic of the trailer, which definitely helped make it look like a real thriller text. The usage of music in a trailer is also another digital technology. We searched for thriller music using a free download website called ‘Audio production network’. Here we found our soundtrack song for our trailer. We saved the music into a file on the computer then transferred this onto a memory stick in order to convert onto the mac computers. The music in a trailer is a convention of a real media text. Looking back on the process of making our film, digital technology is extremely important in the making, and you wouldn’t be able to produce a representation of a real media text without the use of digital technology.